Fallout Equestria: Baltimare Heights

"War..."

"War never changes."

"Once upon a time in the magical land of Equestria; balefire rained from the sky."

"As industrialization became ever more prevalent, the demand for trade goods such as coal and gemstones became more crucial to both Equestria and the Zebrecan nations. When demands became too high and too difficult to efficiently be met, tensions began to rise at a staggering rate."

"The disparagements between Roam and Canterlot led to the degradation of our trade agreements. As resources became strained, the princesses of Equestria prepared for the looming war. Birthing the infrastructure and social changes necessary to bring about the creation of the six ministries the bearers of harmony would lead."

"Thousands of casualties were suffered by both sides over the years but as measures were placed and advancements were made, it was inevitable that megaspells would be created: Spells contained and amplified a hundred fold. These bombs delivered us the wasteland we now know.

"Some ponies foresaw the fallout and prepared underground security bunkers that were designed to withhold against all the toxicity of the aftermath. StableTec constructed over a hundred of these stables all across Equestria in the hopes that the ponies who survived could eventually rebuild and revive this once magical land."

"Stable 109; the doorless stable of the Ministry of Arcane Sciences' Baltimare hub. Welcome to the stable of social and scientific stagnation."

Everyone at the table sat in dumbfounded silence. There were six of us sitting at a round table in a maintenance lounge on the fourth floor. All present stared at me as I polished off the last of the bottles I'd just won. It was refreshing. I felt good.

"Damn Glimmer, where'd all that come from?" asked a surly old unicorn stallion. His pale pink mane and purple coat were smudged with grease. "You need to get your nose outta them books."

The zebra stallion that sat close beside him looked from me to him and back again. "Surely you know the history as well as any of us, yes?"

The old unicorn looked like he wanted to answer but a red mare sitting to my right, spoke first. "Of course, I do, but who the hell monologues about that outta the blue during a card game?" She had a broad grin and threw a hoof across my shoulders, pulling me toward her. "Lighten up! Yeah sure, we're trapped in a doorless hole, and we break every rule the Overmare has just by being here doing this. We would definitely become fertilizer if we're caught but hey! Where's the fun in following all those dumb mindless rules."

The old purple stallion nodded and took a drink of his apple cider. Giving a refreshed glour to the rest of us. He was probably the oldest of the ponies here. "The Overmare's rules are to maintain our facility and our faculties. This stable hasn't always been divided."

The old zebra next to him spoke next, "This is true, there once was a time when he and I were colts." He briefly pointed a hoof toward the purple stallion, "In those times, the stable was as one and no restrictions had been forced on anyone."

"So what changed?" I asked as another pony dealt four faces down cards one at a time to each of us.

A mare with a green coat laughed and drank as she looked at her cards. The old stallion gave a sigh giving his four cards a look as well. "Look," he said, "About fifty years ago, the Overmare before our latest one decided that numbers were more important than everything else. That's about it."

I looked at my cards, I had a pair of twos, a queen and a seven. The round began and ponies either made a bet, a bluff or a fold. I made a bet and received a fifth card that was also a queen. "So, everything I've learned about our home is recent? Are all the restrictions on ponies and zebras a new thing?"

The zebra sitting next to me gave a nod. "We used to have living space up there too. I miss it." He had given a bluff of three, returning his extra card to the deck.

As the table began round two, I placed a bluff of four, moving the ace and queen pairs forward facedown and returned the seven to the deck in exchange for another seven off the top. Everyone else either folded or bluffed before everyone flipped their bluffs up. Only four of the players stayed in, my two pairs, the zebra to my left had three of a kind - fours, the older zebra across the way had five down, a low straight. The old stallion next to him had three kings.

His zebra friend won and blew a raspberry at the old unicorn. "You owe me twice now." the zebra bragged.

I sighed and waved my goodbyes to the drink I'd bet. "Well, I'm down to two bottles."

The old purple unicorn laughed, "Little missy, you even got a cutie mark yet? Why do we allow you to play these games with us?"

Eyes wide, "Really, Auger Wright? Weren't you the one who invited me?"

The zebra next to him laughed, "Actually, I was the one who insisted you join us for these games."

Auger laughed and threw a hoof around the zebra, pulling him in and giving him a noogie. "You weren't supposed to say anything, Fjorix!"

Fjorix feigned a struggle but laughed, "Let me go, let me go!" When he was finally released, he ran a hoof over his mane. "From stories and history, we are taught that our existence here is a luxury like no other. Despite the misconceptions and the subjugation of us all, we are still lucky to be here now."

The red earth pony mare to my right started dealing the cards to everyone who placed a bottle in the center. "Either way, I don't like it. Maintaining all the plumbing in this place stinks. Ever trudged through belly deep shit? I have. It stinks."

I checked my cards, grinned and put all four forward for a bluff. "Poppy Petal… That's gross."

"Shits gross, we all make it but when the pipe pops, I'm the one who's cleaning it up." She grimaced with a little shiver.

The table went on with the first round and only two folded. The rest of us made our bluffs and revealed them. I won it with a four of a kind being fives. Taking a big gulp of my drink, I levitated all the bottles to me. "You know, I imagine the world above isn't as bad as we all have been told. Surely that city up there has ponies living in it. What do you all think?"

Auger harrumphed at that. "You're still too young to know how mad that world is."

A ripple of agreements from everyone presents and I sat silently. "How would any of you know for sure?"

Fjorix answered immediately, hopping to his hooves, his chair scratching the concrete floor. "Because we are much older than you, our grandparents told stories of the descent and witnessed the madness that ensued on that dark day."

Auger put a hoof gently on the zebra's shoulder, coaxing him back down. "You've only been alive for feen years. We each have over fifty years on you, just know your place is here in the stable. You still have a long life ahead of you."

Regardless, I couldn't help wondering what Baltimare is actually like. It has been a century and a half after all.

Time flies but the stable stays still.